Saturday, July 6, 2019

US and Iran: What is NOT a Smart Policy

by Majid Rafizadeh • July 6, 2019 at 5:00 am

Rooting for President Trump to fail in his policy with Iran means calling for empowering and emboldening a theocratic regime that has consistently threatened "Death to America" -- with nukes, presumably, if it had the capability, which it is busy acquiring.
The core revolutionary pillars of this Iranian government are anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. This country, which some people say they would like to see prevail over President Trump, has also been named, several times, the leading executioner of children. It has killed thousands of Americans, including in the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, and has committed -- and continues to commit -- the most unspeakable human rights abuses, including flogging and executing minors....That documentation is just a limited accounting of the horrors it has committed; the list goes on.
During President Obama's eight-year administration, Obama and Kerry made unprecedented concessions, fully respected the Iranian leaders, lifted sanctions, offered them a fast-track to legitimate deliverable nuclear capability and showered the regime with $150 billion -- all in an attempt to appease the ruling mullahs. How did that turn out?
Iran gained legitimacy, directed the billions of dollars to Iran's military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as Iran's militias and terror groups, and, through its proxies, has been deepening its foothold in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and strengthening its hold on Hezbollah in Lebanon, Venezuela and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Rooting for President Trump to fail in his policy with Iran means calling for empowering and emboldening a theocratic regime that has consistently threatened "Death to America" -- with nukes, presumably, if it had the capability, which it is busy acquiring. (Image sources: Ayatollah Khamenei - MEMRI; President Trump - Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

There are policy analysts, scholars or politicians I have come across who say, "I hope Trump fails." One area particularly focused on is the president's policy on Iran. The statement "I hope Trump fails," however, is not a sound strategy.

Those who hold this view would apparently rather see the country fail than see President Trump do well. Rooting for President Trump to fail in his policy with Iran means calling for empowering and emboldening a theocratic regime that has consistently threatened "Death to America" -- with nukes, presumably, if it had the capability, which it is busy acquiring.